From the surface, the Western Conference Finals were always a matchup of megastars Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony. The sound bite happy sports world wouldn’t have it any other way. But the following story lines have been far more intriguing:
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Birdman taking flight » For every time Chris Andersen flaps his tattooed wings or looks to the crowd for acknowledgement after a highlight reel dunk or block, the seventh year forward also pulls down yet another rebound — he had a playoff-career-high 14 boards in Game 4. It’s the blue-collar effort that makes his redemption story a compelling one.
Dahntay’s hit and run » After his pathetic trip of Bryant, less-than-20-minutes-per-game starter Dahntay Jones is on the verge of an automatic suspension for accumulation of flagrant fouls. We know it will happen, but will it be Game 6 that he misses, or Game 7?
Top-billing for Billups » What hasn’t Chauncey Billups done right? Besides scoring better than his season average 17.7 points per game in each of the last eight playoff games, Billups has cut his regular-season turnover average in half, down to 1.6 per contest — a stark contrast to his 6.8 assists.
Pouting Pau » With all due respect to Pau Gasol, his frustration over the Lakers not taking better advantage in the post might be better directed at the mirror — just two of his 21 rebounds in the last two games have come at the offensive end — and at Andrew Bynum, who’s contributing 6.4 points and 3.9 boards per playoff contest, a mere shadow of his regular-season averages of 14 and 8.
